Short Interest in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Grows By 27.1%

Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 8,970,000 shares, a growth of 27.1% from the April 30th total of 7,060,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,640,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.5 days. Currently, 7.1% of the company's shares are short sold.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Valvoline from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $40.00 to $45.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $44.00 target price (down previously from $45.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Valvoline from $41.00 to $38.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, TD Securities started coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, April 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $40.00 target price for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $42.54.

Valvoline Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of VVV stock traded up $0.13 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $36.67. 825,263 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,440,776. The firm has a market cap of $4.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.55 and a beta of 1.20. Valvoline has a fifty-two week low of $31.02 and a fifty-two week high of $48.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.70. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $34.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $36.06.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The basic materials company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by ($0.02). Valvoline had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 143.64%. The business had revenue of $403.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $405.38 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.37 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Valvoline will post 1.63 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Lori Ann Flees bought 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $33.78 per share, with a total value of $101,340.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 46,614 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,574,620.92. This trade represents a 6.88% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Valvoline

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Valvoline by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,893,648 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $466,492,000 after purchasing an additional 101,834 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its position in Valvoline by 11.1% in the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 10,818,256 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $391,405,000 after purchasing an additional 1,080,114 shares during the period. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI grew its position in Valvoline by 13.0% in the 1st quarter. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI now owns 4,769,346 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $166,021,000 after purchasing an additional 548,071 shares during the period. Alua Capital Management LP grew its position in Valvoline by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Alua Capital Management LP now owns 3,734,466 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $129,997,000 after purchasing an additional 129,185 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Valvoline by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,608,067 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $94,362,000 after purchasing an additional 6,871 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company's stock.

About Valvoline

Valvoline Inc engages in the operation and franchising of vehicle service centers and retail stores in the United States and Canada. The company, through its service centers, provides fluid exchange for motor oil, transmission and differential fluid, and coolant; parts replacement for batteries, filters, wiper blades, and belts; and safety services, such as tire inflation and rotation, bulbs, and safety checks.